Mark Cuban and Elon Musk.
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Billionaire investor Mark Cuban warned Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Sunday against forming an alliance with former President Donald Trump, because, he said, the Republican presidential candidate may not be able to pay his political debts.
“Elon, there will come a time when you need something from Donald Trump,” Cuban wrote in X’s post to his billionaire friend. “You would think you would have earned the right to ask for it and receive it. You have been a loyal and loyal soldier to him.”
“At the point you need him the most,” Cuban continued. “You will know what you have learned before, loyalty is only to oneself.
The Cuban message came in response to an earlier X post from Musk in which the SpaceX CEO expanded on various conspiracy theories about Democrats encouraging immigration to battleground states as a “sure way to win every election.”
“If Trump is not elected, this will be the last election,” Musk wrote.
Musk’s endorsement of Trump is a marked reversal from 2022 when he openly insulted the former president on social media.
Cuba’s warning to Musk, one billionaire to another, represents an implicit bid for government favors made by wealthy political supporters when they drive cars to presidential candidates.
The two billionaires are on opposite sides of the presidential race this election cycle. But both business leaders have their eyes on some level of regulatory control.
Trump, Cuban believes, may not follow through on the exchange in Musk’s favor.
Cuba has become an outspoken surrogate for Vice President Kamala Harris and her economic agenda. In recent weeks, he has regularly championed Harris as “better for business,” despite some skepticism about his plans to raise corporate tax rates.
As Cuban increases public support, he also monitors new job opportunities at the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“I told his team, put his name on the SEC, it needs to be changed,” Cuban said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Musk is pursuing a new project of his own. Musk has repeatedly floated the creation of a government efficiency commission that is said to curb federal spending if Trump wins a second term in the White House. And he has put his hand up to lead the agency.
Earlier this month, Trump endorsed the idea of ​​a government efficiency commission and suggested Musk might be “good” to lead it.
But the Republican nominee countered that Musk, a busy CEO of multiple companies, might not have time for the job, but he could “consult.”
